William Kabogo Gitau has appeared before the Senate to respond to concerns over child online safety, cyberbullying and data privacy as internet access and digital platform use continue to expand in Kenya.
The Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy faced questions from senators regarding measures the government has put in place to protect children from online exploitation, harmful digital content and misuse of personal data.
The concerns were raised by Hamida Ali Kibwana, who sought clarification on the legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks established to safeguard minors in the digital space.
Responding before the Senate plenary, Kabogo said the government had anchored child online protection within the Constitution, which guarantees every child the right to protection from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices and exploitation.
The CS said the ministry, working with other state agencies, had operationalised several legal frameworks to address cyber harassment, harmful online content and unlawful processing of children’s personal information.
Among the laws being used are the Data Protection Act, the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, the Sexual Offences Act and the Kenya Information and Communications Act.
Kabogo told senators that several institutions are jointly implementing child online protection programmes, including the Communications Authority of Kenya, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, the Media Council of Kenya, the Kenya Film Classification Board and the National Computer and Cybercrimes Co-ordination Committee.
According to the CS, the government has strengthened compliance measures requiring digital platforms and service providers to adopt child-sensitive safeguards, including parental controls, reporting tools, age-appropriate content restrictions and responsible data collection practices.
Kabogo further told the Senate that the enhanced Code of Conduct for Media Practice, 2025 now places stricter obligations on media houses and digital platforms to shield minors from exploitative content, online abuse and manipulative advertising.
He added that Kenya had also undertaken research and policy assessments to understand emerging online risks affecting children.
The Cabinet Secretary said the ministry is reviewing international best practices from jurisdictions including the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union to strengthen Kenya’s child online protection framework, particularly on platform accountability, age verification systems and child safety standards.
Kabogo also revealed that the government is developing future policy interventions under the National ICT Policy Guidelines and the National Plan of Action to Tackle Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse for the 2027–2031 period.
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